"Baltimore moved on from Brandon Hyde during the 2025 season, but they'll replace him this year with another former catcher. New manager Craig Albernaz was a backstop for nine seasons in the minors. After his playing career wrapped up, he entered the coaching ranks. Albernaz's first gig at the major-league level was as a catching instructor and bench coach with the Giants."
""I'm excited," Albernaz told reporters earlier this month, including Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. "Adley and Basallo both have a ton of talent. Obviously, Basallo coming in, relatively not a lot of experience at the big league level, but you just see the talent jump right at you. And Adley, even before he got to the big leagues, and his pedigree behind the plate.""
"The trade of Alex Jackson on Friday could increase Baltimore's reliance on Rutschman and Basallo. Jackson has mostly been a backup in his career, but he had the second-most plate appearances at catcher for Baltimore last season. There was a chance the team would carry all three catchers next year. Basallo started 20 games behind the plate, but also made a pair of starts at first base and spent time at DH."
Craig Albernaz spent nine seasons as a minor-league backstop before moving into coaching and serving as a catching instructor and bench coach with the Giants. Albernaz will manage Baltimore and expects to work closely with catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. The trade of Alex Jackson likely increases the team's reliance on Rutschman and Basallo. Basallo started 20 games at catcher in 2025, also played first base and DH, and draws mixed defensive grades (FanGraphs 30 current/40 future; MLB.com 45). Rutschman remains a solid defender but has seen offensive production limited by injuries and reduced playing time.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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